Rail-joint



L. W. BAILEY.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. H, 1919.

1,348 Q0715, Patented July 27, 1920.

91);? I 5] vwewtoz messes UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters iatent.

Application filed November 17, 1919. Serial .No. 388,426.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LAYMAN IV. BAILr/X, a citizen of the United States, residing at Princeton, in the county of Mercer and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful Improvements in rail joint chairs and the main object of the invention is the provision of a joint chair formed in two interlooking sections adapted for application to the meeting ends of two rails and provided with simple and efiicient means to securely lock saidrails against lateralor longitudinal movement.

. The invention'comprehends a combined joint and chair comprising separable members having provision for their interlocking at the base, whereby a flat uninterrupted bottom bearing-surface or base is secured. A further object of the invention is the provision of a rail joint chair which will possess advantages in points of efficiency and durability, is inexpensive to manufacture and at the same time simple in construction and operation.

Another object is to provide a simple an eflicient device for preventing knocking of the rail ends and which will also operate as a bolt lock.

. WVith the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed. may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents the side elevation of a pair of rail ends connected by this improved joint chair.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof partly in horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 44 of Fig. 2.

In the embodiment illustrated the device constituting this invention is shown applied to two rail ends, 1 and 2, equipped with the ordinary bolt holes 3 to receive the connecting bolts 4.

The chair constituting .this invention comprises two interlocking sections 5 and ,6. The section 6 which is the outer member of the chair includes a bar or body .7 adapted to fit between the lower face of the tread of the rails 1 and v2 and the base of said rails. This body 7 has a laterally. extending flange 8 adapted to fit over the rail base Patented 111; 27, 1920.

The chair-base plates 9 and 1O carry at their outer edges laterally extending brace supporting plates 12 on which are mounted the braces 13 which are preferably-made integral with said plates. These braces 13 connect the plates-12 with the body portion 7 and flanges of section 6 and operate to prevent the joint .from turning when used on a curve or from buckling when used on a straight track. a y p j The inner face of the body member7of section 6 is grooved longitudinally as shown at 14 and is designed to-receive between-the connecting bolts 4 which pass through aper-. tures 7 in the body .7 a bowed flat spring 15 which has notches in its opposed ends to fit around the bolts 4. This spring 15 fits be tween these bolts and prevents knocking of. the rail ends, thebowed portion causing the ends of the spring to snugly engage the bolts. As will be seen in Fig.2, the bowed portion of thisspring 15 engages the meeting ends of the rails 1 and 2 and is held yieldably engaged therewith by the bolts 4; The upper walls of the bolt holes 7 are inclined downwardly from the outer to the inner faces of member 7 so that when the bolts are inserted they strike said inclined or sloping walls thereby drawing the rail joint up against the rail.

The section 5 which is designed to be placed inside the rail ends to be connected, includes a body member 17 similar to the member 7 of section 6, which member is apertured to receive the bolts 4 when the device is to be assembled. A rail base endescribed the'principlerof operation of the gaging flange 18 extends laterally from the lower edge of said body memberl'? and carries midway its ends a base plate 19 which is shaped to fit between the inner ends of the plates 9 and 10 of the other section, the

opposed ends of said plate 19 converging'toward its free side edge and being beveled downwardly and inwardly toifit 'on the oppositely beveled ends of the plates 9 and 10; It will :be (noted that these cooperating plates 9, 10 and 19 extend completely across thechair and opposite sides of the rail base flanges which the chair connects and that the bottom surface'of 'the key or tongue formed by plate 19 is flush with the bottom surfaces of the plates 9and 10. By this'ar rangement it will be seen that the bottom surface o'ithe chair has a flat uninterrupted bearing surfacethroughout its extent, and the relatively wide space covered by the plates 9 and 10 and the ke'y 19 avoids the tendency of the sections 5 and 6 to break down'at their meeting ends beneath the vertical aXis oi the rail section, it being seen that the wide key or tongue 19 is disposed directly below 7 the meeting ends of the rails 1 and 2.

" It will thus be seen from inspection of Fig. 1 that the key or'plate 19 carried by the inside member 5 slides under the flange apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have inventiontogether with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device is merely illustrative and that such changesmay be made as are within the scope of the claimed invention. j

Having thus described theinventiomwhat edges, the other section comprising a body with a base plate shaped and positioned to fit between the endsof the base'plates of theother section with its free end adapted beveled and diverging toward their free side to project under the body of the first'men- 5 tioned section, whereby a dovetail connection is formed between the sections and spikereceiving members carried by the first mentioned section. 7'

2. A-combinedvrail joint and'chair comprising two oppositely disposed rail engaging members having base portions, one of said base portions comprising longitudinally spaced plates with their inner ends diverging toward their free side edges and beveled downwardly and outwardly, the other base portion being in the form of a plate shaped to fit between the plates of the first mentioned base portion the ends of said plate converging toward its free side edge and beveled downwardly and inwardly.

3. A rail joint of the class described including interlocking sections each having a rail web engaging member, said members being provided with registering bolt holes, a seat in the inner face of one member be tween said holes, and a bowed flat spring positioned in said seat and having notched ends, bolts passing through said holes and notches, said sections having laterally extending base portions carried by the lower edges of the web engaging members thereof andshaped to interlockingly connect'when assembled, and spike receivlng means carried by'the other said section.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses; LAYMAN W. BAILEY.

' Witnesses: I

MAMIE I'IOUSMAN, V Lownnr' Gr.- BOWLING. 

